Cliffe Pools Safari Funday

The Thames Estuary Partnership, a charity based in London, has teamed up with The Friends of North Kent Marshes, RSPB Cliffe and Kent County Council to organise this exciting big school holiday event at Cliffe Pools Wednesday the 3rd of August 2005 from 10.30am to 3.30pm.

Children, aged 5-12 will be enjoying a free, action-packed Safari Funday, which promises to be full of fun, including:

Fantastic views over the North Kent Marshes

Long walks around the blue pools

Renewable energy fun

Mini beast hunt

A wealth of bird life to be investigated, including massed flocks of ducks and wading birds, exciting migrant birds, breeding avocets, common terns, nightingales and turtle doves

Pond dipping

and much much more…

Families are welcome to call in any time during a day.

The Thames Estuary Partnership organises events along the estuary to help adults and children alike to learn about and appreciate the River Thames.

The Thames has been ‘brought back to life’ following years of pollution from industry and sewage. Since the 1960’s it has steadily become cleaner and cleaner. Today there are 120 types of fish found in the Thames and over 170,000 birds living along its shores. The brown colour of the river is completely natural due to mud being stirred up as the tide comes in and out twice a day.

Note to editors:

Cliffe Pools are a mix of saline lagoons, freshwater pools, grassland, saltmarsh and scrub. These habitats have developed on old clay diggings and river dredgings.

The reserve already attracts thousands of birds. It is renowned as a site for wading birds, with massed flocks moving from the Thames Estuary onto the pools on winter high tides, a wide range of passage birds in autumn and spring, and breeding avocets, redshanks, lapwings and ringed plovers.

Cliffe Pools are also home to a range of other wildlife including water voles and harvest mice plus notable insects, such as the scarce emerald damselfly, shrill carder bee and green hairstreak butterfly. Plant species include nationally notable species, such as sea barley and annual beard grass.

The Thames Estuary Partnership (TEP) provides a neutral forum for local authorities, national agencies, industry, voluntary bodies and local communities to work together for the good of the Thames Estuary. The Thames Estuary Partnership organises events along the estuary to help adults and children alike to learn about and appreciate the river Thames. (Kristina Gamst, 020 7679 5299, email: k.gamst@thamesweb.com)

The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all. The RSPB acquired the 230hecteres of Cliffe Pools in 2001.

The RSPB is working in partnership with Westminster Dredging Plc to create a flagship nature reserve and the focus for visitors to the RSPB's North Kent Marshes reserves. (Adrian Thomas, 01634222480, email: adrian.thomas@rspb.org.uk)

The Friends of North Kent Marshes is a voluntary group, formed in 2004 out of the No airport at Cliffe Campaign Liaison Group. Their aim is to promote the whole of the North Kent Marshes and the ways in which everyone can enjoy them. They work both with the local communities that live on and around the Marshes, and with groups such as the RSPB as they develop flagship visitor sites here. (George Crozer, 07711432598 george@northkentmarshes.org.uk)

Kent County Council is the local authority for the county of Kent in south-east England, United Kingdom. KCC is based in the county town of Maidstone.

A big school holidays event with pond dipping, mini beast games and activities as you guide yourself to the Safari Rendezvous overlooking the Thames. Suitable for 5-12 year old and their families. Free minibus from Cliffe, Cliffe Woods, Cooling and High Halstow. Other parking off Salt Lane - follow signs on day. Refreshments available to be bought. No booking required.